Means for connecting railway and like rails



L. MARTIN Aug. 27, 1957 MEANS FOR CONNECTING RAILWAY AND LIKE RAILS lFuga Nov. 16. 154

f 'j W 41 United States Patent fA MEANS FOR CONNECTING RAILWAY AND LiKERAILS Ludwig Martin, Wuppertal-Elberfeld, Germany, assignor toDusseldorfer Eisenhuttengesellschaft Ratngen, near Dusseldorf, Germany fApplication November 16, 1954, Serial No. 469,250

Claims priority, application Germany November 17, 1953 9 Claims. (Cl.23S-173) This invention relates to a rail joint having one or more flator leaf springs arranged below the joint, the springs extending in thedirection of the rails and being supported at their ends in two supportsrunning transversely of the rail and fixed to the rail adjacent thejoint. In the known rail joints of this kind, the fixing means for thesupports for the springs to the foot of the rail is unsatisfactorybecause it is continually subject to the influence of the movement ofthe flat springs. The supports then became loose and began to shift onthe rail foot.

In the rail joint according to the invention this diculty is overcomeand the support is fixed to the foot of the rail in such a manner thatit cannot work loose. According to the invention, the supports for theleaf spring or springs consist of two separate vU-shaped members, ofwhich the ends of the arms are formed as screw-threaded bolts, and meansfor fixing the U-shaped members to the v rail foot consists of twoclamping plates of which one is fixed to the arms of the IU-shapedmember |and the other is placed on the rail foot, which lengages in theU-shaped member, and is clamped by means of a nut, by

tightening which the springs are first tensioned and, after the lowerclamping plate abuts against the foot of the rail, a secure connectionis made. l

The connection between the ends of the U-shaped member and the rail footwhich is made in this manner is not only under the pre-tension of thesprings, but also is under an additional clamping force which isindependent of this pre-tension. The connection is, therefore,independent of the behaviour of the springs. This independence exists ateach of the two U-shaped members which underlie the ends of the springs.

Another important advantage of the rail connectionrof the invention isthat the tensioning of the springs takes place simultaneously with themaking of the connection between the rail foot and the U-shaped member.

According to further features of the invention, the leaf springsarranged in the U-shaped clamping members are provided at their endswhich project from the U-shaped members with bent portions which act asstops and prevent displacement of the springs. There may also bearranged between the leaf springs and the foot of the rail a transverseplate having upper flanges which embrace the foot of the rail `and lowerflanges which `embrace the springs. The plate together with two lugs onthe fish plates between which it is interposed acts as a spacer for theU-shaped members. In order to maintain a fixed and unalterable spacingbetween the U-shaped members, the fish plates are short and are held tothe rails only by a single bolt passing through the centre of the joint.The fish plates are so formed that only the ends of their longitudinaledges abut against the head and foot of the rails.

The invention is illustrated, by way of example, in the laccompany-ingdrawing, in which:

Figs. l and 2 show the rail connection in side elevation and planrespectively, and

`42304276 Patented Aug. 27, 1957 Figs. 3 and 4 are sections on the linesIII- III and IV--IV of Fig. l respectively.

Referring to the drawing, the rails 3, 4 which rest on the sleepers 1, 2'and are fixed to them in known manner are supported in the region ofthe joint 5 by two superimposed bentleaf-springs 6, 7. The lends ofthese springs, which at first are not pre-tensioned, rest on twoseparate and independent IU-shaped members 8 which run transversely ofthe longitudinal direction of the rails and are to be clamped to therail foot 9. For this purpose, the ends of the arms of the members 8 arein the form of threaded bolts 10. A lower clamping plate 11 is fixed to0r supported on each arm of the member 8. After the rail foot 9 has beenintroduced into the member 8, a second clamping plate 12 is placed onthe ends of the arms of the U-shaped members 8 and over the rail footand the member 8 is then clamped by tightening the nuts 13. The springs6, 7 are thereby tensioned until the lower clamping plate 11 bearsagainst the rail foot 9. After this, the final tightening or clamping ofthe screw connection takes place. The upper clamping plate 12 is thereby`clamped against the rail foot 9 and the lower clamping plate 11. Thefinal connection therefor is subject to the pre-tension of the springs6, 7 and to an additional clamping force applied after the pretensioningof the springs.

The flat springs 7 project laterally from the U-shaped members 8 andtheir ends are `bent downwardly. This provides suicient play between thebent portions and the U-shaped members 8 to allow for lengthening of therails.

Between the upper flat spring 6 and the rail foot 9 is inserted a plate14 which runs transversely of the longitudinal direction of the railsand is provided with lateral guide flanges 15, 16. The guide flangesA 15embrace the rail foot land the guide flanges 16 embrace the springplates 6, 7. They, therefore, prevent relative lateral shifting betweentheV rails and the springs.

In order to prevent shifting of the plate 14 in the longitudinaldirection -of the rails, the fish plates 17 connecting the two rails 3and 4 are each provided with two extending lugs 18, 19. The lugs 18 and19 engagejaround the foot-of the rail and secure the plate 14 laterallybetween them. The two lugs 18, 19 'and the plate 14 thus act -as spacersfor the members 8.

The plate 14 is held particularly securely between the lugs 18, 19 ofthe members 17 and the spacing of the members 8 -is well maintained, ifthe fish plates 17 are in the `form of short plates which are fixed onlyby a single bolt 20 which passes through the middle of the rail joint.As distinguished from the known fish plates, the upper and lower edgesurfaces of which are each wedge over their entire length against thehead and foot of the rail, in the fish plates used in the invention theedges are wedged against the head and foot of the rails only at the ends21 of the plates 17. The middle part 22 of the fish plates is not incontact with the head and -foot of the rails. In this way the fishplates are held very securely and, therefore, the plate 14 is alsosecurely held and the spacing by the lugs 18, 19 and the plate 14 iswell maintained.

I claim:

1. Means for connecting railway and like rails, comprising a leaf-springunderlying the rails at the joint and extending in the longitudinal`direction of the rails, a pair of U-shaped members in which each of theends of the said spring are supported respectively, the arms of saidU-shaped members being screw-threaded at the ends, a pair of clampingplates on each of the arms of said U- shaped members for engaging aboveand below a rail foot introduced between said arms, `and a nut threadedon each of said screw-threaded ends Vfor clamping said rail foot betweensaid clamping plates.

2. Means for `connecting railway and like rails, comprsins a leaf-Springunderlying tha rails 'at the J'QJlt and extending in the longitudinalvdiretini of Vthe-rails, "a pair of U-,Shaped members, in Which'sach 0fthe. ends, 0f Said Spring are SuPpQrted respefively. Said spring haringdownwardly bent portions projecting from said [,l-slgaped members, thearms of said y-shaped members being screw-threaded at the ends, a pairof clamping plates on each of the arms of said Ushaped members forengaging above and below a rai-l foot introduced between said arms, anda nut threaded on each of said screw-threaded ends for clamping saidrail foot between said clamping plates.

3. Means for connecting railway and like rails, comprising a leaf-springunderlying the rails at the jointand spring are supported respectively,the arms of said lAJ-v shaped :members `being screw-threaded at the`ends, an upper clamping plate and a lower clamping plate on each of thearms of said U-shaped members for engaging above and below a rail footintroduced between said arms, a plate member disposed transversely ofthe rails between said spring and said rail foot 'andrinterrnediate saidl J-shaped members, llanges on the ends of said plate member, saidflanges embracing the sides of saidrail foot and said spring, and nutsthreaded on the screw-threaded ends of said arms.

4. Means for connecting railway and like rails, comprising a fish platedisposed on each side of said rails, a leaf-Spring underlying VSaidrails at the joint ,and ,extending in the longitudinal direction of therails, a pair of U-shaped members in which each of the ends `of lsaidSpring are Supported respectively, the arms of Said U' shaped membersbeing screw-threaded at the ends, an upper `cl'alnpins plate and a lowerClamping plate @n sash f therms of Said U-Shaped ,In/.embers forensasnsabqye and below a rail foot introdued 'between said harms, and anut threaded on each of said sprewthreaded ends for clamping Said railfoot between ,Said ,clamping Plates.

5. Means for connecting railway and jg'llke rails, rco/mprising a shplate disposed at each side ,of said rails, means `fixing said lishplates to said rails, a leaffsprivng underlying said :rails at the jointand extending in the longitudinaldirection of the rails, a pair of-l'J-sh-'aped memlugs on said sh plates engaging said transverse plateand said Lj-shaped members vand nuts threaded on said ends of saidLil-shaped members.

6. Means 4for connecting railway and like rails as claimed inclaim 5,said sh plates being recessed so as to engage the head and foot of therails only at their ends.

7. Means for connecting railway and like rails as claimed in claim 5,said sh'plates being clamped to said rails by a single bolt passingthrough the rail joint.`

8. Means for connecting railway and like rails comprising a pairof fishplates, means clamping said fish plates `to adjacent ends of said rails,a leaffspring underlying the rails and extending in the longitudinal.direction of the rails, a `pair DfyU-Sllaped clamps in which Veach .ofthe end s of said spring `are supported respectively, the arms o f saidyfshaped members being screw-threaded at the ends, a pair of .clampingplates for engaging below the foot of the railfixed 4to said arms, :and`a pair of clamping plates for engaging above the foot of the raildisplaceable `on Sld ffms, .and nutsthreadedon the ends of said arms.

E?. lMeans `for .connecting ,railway and like rails comprising 'a pairof sh plates, a bolt `connecting said sh plates to said rails, aleaf-,spring underlying said railsvand extending in .the longitudinaldirection of the rails, a pair of IlJ-sl1aped members in which each lofthe ends of said 'spring are ,supported respectively, the arms of said.U-

shaped members being screw-threaded :at the ends, a pair of clampingplates on each yof saidarms for engaging above and `below a rail footintroduced between said arms, a lplate member disposed transversely ofthe rails between said spring and saidrail foot and intermediate said1U- shaped members, flanges on uthe ends of said plate member, saidanges embracing the sides of said rail foot and said spring, lugs `onsaid lish plates engaging between said transverse plate member Iand saidl,U.-shaped members, `and nutsthreaded on the ends of Said Us-shapedmembers.

y No references cited.

